2/13/10 - Snow Day!!

Today I finally took Olivia outside for her first time playing in the snow. She didn't really know what to think about it, but seemed very interested. She sat in it, stood in it, touched it...everything, without hesitation. But, she kept giving me this looks...like "is this stuff really supposed to be here???". She was so cute. We hadn't taken her out because we didn't want to spend the money on a snow suit. Last year my mom gave me one, but it was a pretty big size. So, even though it's still pretty big on her, it got the job done. If the weather cooperates, I'd like to get her out a few more times...need to make sure that winter blood runs deep in her veins!!

Christian's work is doing some big project, so a few of them are getting to work some overtime this weekend to help out...so, he was at work today...all day!! Therefore, it was another girls day! It gets exhausting trying to keep up with her all day (she never stops talking, and NEVER stops moving), but I do cherish the time I get with her!

Here are some pictures from our outdoor adventures!!

Until tomorrow!!!

2/12/10 - LONG Girl's Day In...

Well, today was a LONG day. It was my Friday home with Olivia, while Christian was at work. But, in addition to that, Christian had his work "Holiday" party after work, so he wasn't home until long after us girls were in bed...so, it was just the two of us, all day long! We just hung out, didn't do much of anything. We woke up to a nice frost over everything, and lots of fog...it was very beautiful, but a good day to stay inside! I think the weather is supposed to be similar all weekend, so we'll see! We don't have any big plans this weekend, so I'm hoping things are pretty calm and low key for us!

Here are some pics from the frost, love it!

























Until tomorrow!!!

2/11/10 - Exhausted!!!

Oh man, I can't begin to explain how exhausted I am!!! I know the pregnancy has a lot to do with it, but it seems like life in general is so crazy lately. Today was my Thursday/Friday at work, so yes of course, I was overly swamped...actually didn't even get off on time because I was trying to finish up before the long weekend. We don't do a ton at home (as far as going out/leaving the house kind of stuff), but it seems like it's a never ending battle of cleaning, dishes, laundry...and of course cramming as much play time in as I can.

Basically, being pregnant with your first is WAY WAY different than being pregnant when you already have a little one, that's for sure! When I was pregnant with Olivia, I'd get home from work, and take a nap....EVERY day. I'd relax, kick back, watch my shows...just take it easy. There is definitely none of that going on these days!! But overall, I feel a lot better. It's so nice NOT gaining weight, having one less thing to worry about (knock on wood this continues!), I don't feel stressed or worried about every little thing, I'm not waiting on pins and needles for the due date to get here...I'm just way more relaxed when it comes to the pregnancy itself...it's must more enjoyable this time around!

Well, here is my new favorite picture of Olivia...I swear, this girl gets cuter every day, I just love her to pieces!!!










Until tomorrow!!!

2/10/10 - 16 Weeks!

Wow, 16 weeks!!! That is so crazy. Some people say "4 Months", but it really doesn't work that way! I'm 16 weeks today, due 7/28/10, so, I'm due in like 5.5 months, the weeks don't really convert into months that well. Basically, I'm 16 out of 40 weeks, so I'm about 2/5 of the way there!! WOW!

I've been feeling pretty well these days. No nausea, mild headaches, my appetite is coming back!! I went into the clinic yesterday for my quad screening. That is where they test your blood for possible genetic markers that could indicate some birth defects. Our family doesn't have any history, and I'm not worried at all. The screening is optional...I choose to do it because if there is a chance something was wrong, I would want to know, and prepare myself. You can never be too prepared!!! Part of the visit, of course, was a weight check. It was pretty good, I'm now 1.2 lbs over what I started at, so that's not too bad. Not too excited about gaining now, but it does come with the territory.

Now, I'll go back in 4 weeks for my next pre-natal visit, and hopefully schedule my ultrasound!! YAY, those are the best! So, we only have about a month to decide if we're going to find out baby's sex or not!!! So many pro's and con's to each, it's a tough decision!

Until tomorrow!!!

2/9/10 - Ellen Debuts!

So, I love American Idol. Admittedly, not as much as I once did. I've watched the show since the VERY first episode...and lost a lot of interest as people jumped on the band wagon and started watching. But, I've continued to watch. The only time I didn't was the last half of the Reuben/Clay season because I thought the season was crap and hated them! Anyway, I was very excited for Ellen's big debut as the new judge, very anxious to see what she'd bring. I have to say, I LOVE her more than ever now. I love that she brings a real "fan" opinion to the show, I love that she knows how to add in some appropriate humor into the judging, and I like that she has actual opinions, and shares them. I'm very excited the new feel this season will have. Being that this is Simon's last season as a judge, I'm not sure if I'll be able to continue watching once he's gone, we'll have to see. It definitely won't be the same.

Other than that, it was Tuesday as usual. The snow finally stopped about mid-day. My morning drive wasn't nearly as bad, I left even earlier, and was only like 5 minutes late for work, so not too shabby. The drive home was a breeze, which is even better. The snow is supposed to stay away now until Friday, so hopefully it does, we need a break! Work seems to be much less crazy these days, which is a welcomed reprieve! I'm just looking forward to my upcoming 4-day weekend now (Friday is my flex day off, and Monday is President's Day, so YAY)!!

Here are some pics of our Lady Bug today. She's dressed up, ready for spring...I think she has spring fever more than any of us!!

Until tomorrow!!!

2/8/10 - Snowy Monday!!

Well, it's snowed literally all day today, and is supposed to continue through tomorrow. This morning's commute was NOT FUN, not one bit. It took me 3 times as long to get to work, I was an hour late even though I left early. The joys of living in the far out suburbs I guess. It's really upsetting though...to pass so many accidents on the road, so many cars in the ditch (most of which are facing the WRONG way, so I just can't imagine how scary their experience was). I think the state really needs to offer some kind of mandatory winter driving course or something, with refreshers every few years. People can live here literally their entire lives, and just never get the hang of driving in the winter.

I heard on the news some cities/counties are actually running out of places to put the snow!!! How the hell does that happen?? It does seem like we've gotten way more snow than usual though this year, I'll be interested to see the final numbers when all is said and done! In my city, the mailman just drives down one side of the street and puts the mail in the box (no walking). After every snow, we get a letter in our mailbox telling us we need to clear the street for them (thanks to the plows). We drive down the street, and the snowbank down the entire road is way OVER the mailboxes now, at some houses, you can just barely see the mailbox doors sticking out through the snowbank. We are literally surrounded by snow! But, it is beautiful!!

Here are some pics of the snowy trees and some icicles. Also, the view of the Cathedral from my office. I have some more winter pics to add, but not on this computer yet...I'll have to come back!




























Until tomorrow!!!

2/7/10 - Superbowl 44!!

Well, today was the big day. We had our friends over, as we have for the past few years, to watch the big game. As I mentioned it would be, it was very hard to watch, and I didn't pay much attention to the game. I did not a couple "Saints favored" bad calls and a few "Saints favored" missed call, BUT over all, I will hand it to the Saints...from what I did watch, they did play a decent game. But the Colts...seriously, besides a couple big plays, it's almost like they didn't show up! I didn't notice too may great commercials this year, so that was pretty disappointing. Here's a link to the "Best and Worst" list. Just like last year, the party quickly segregated...boys downstairs with the BIG TV and the surround sound, and ladies upstairs, with the little ones (who happened to be more entertaining than the game itself anyway!). Works out well though, get a little lady talk in between the game and commercials! So, now the football season is officially over, and that is a horrible feeling to me. I just LOVE football, and I hate when the season ends. About 6 months until pre-season starts, wow, that is a LONG ways away! Now, what will we do on Sundays is the big question!










PS, it's STILL snowing. I'm pretty sure it's now been snowing for most of February. Tomorrow's drive should be very interesting, that's for sure!

Until tomorrow!!!

2/6/10 - Cleaning and Shopping!!

Today was a very busy day!! We had to finish cleaning up the house, and do all of our grocery shopping for the Superbowl party tomorrow. We are determined to actually be ready for this party BEFORE it begins!!! So, yesterday's cleaning continued...Olivia's Room, our bedroom (I had to showcase our wedding display because I just love it), the upstairs living room, the kitchen/dining room, the office and the spare bedroom. AND, I even did our laundry on top of it! Here are some more pictures...I skipped the dining room since we have yet to really do anything. I also skipped the office because it's not too exciting and the spare bedroom because right now that's really just a graveyard for no longer useful baby stuff...






























After the cleaning, we were off to Target and cub to get all the food. We always do a taco bar, which goes over very well. My mother in law is gracious enough to make us rice and guacamole every year as well...nothing like REAL Mexican rice and REAL guac!!

As for the game...it will be very hard for me to bring myself to actually watch it this year. Knowing the Vikings were literally a field goal away from being there, knowing that they SHOULD by all means be there, is heartbreaking to me. Every time I think about the Vikings or the Superbowl I pathetically enough become somewhat teary eyed over it. Now, under any normal circumstances I would be cheering on the Saints...they are repping the NFC, they've never been to a Superbowl let along won one (whereas the Colts won just a few years ago), and they are most definitely the underdogs, and I love an underdog. Unfortunately, after the dirty way they played against the Vikings (and the Cardinals for that matter) and the incredibly obvious assistance the NFL and the officials have been giving them, I cannot bring myself to cheer for them. So, Go Colts I guess!

Until tomorrow!!

2/5/10 - Go Red for Women; Men can Clean!

Well, today is a big day! Today is the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" day (February is Heart Disease Awareness month as well). Not many people know this about me, and if they do at one time, it's often forgotten. I was born with congenital heart disease, on top of a heart murmur. It doesn't really affect my day to day life, in ways it may have when I was younger, but it will always be there, I will never outgrow it. I think because I've lived with it my whole life, I don't think much of it...I don't get emotional over it, I don't make a big deal of it, I often "laugh" it off, not really taking into consideration what a big deal it really is. The older I get, the more I think about it...the more I worry about it. Becoming a mother and a wife has just made my condition more apparent to me. I don't want it to be something that leaves my children without a mother, or my husband without his partner. I am lucky, and thank my stars that I am, in that my problem has grown with me as I've gotten older, and that it is very unlikely that it should ever cause any further issues. I think of this often, and know somebody up there was watching over me!

Aside from that, Christian was home for work today and did LOTS and LOTS of cleaning getting ready for Sunday's party. I was very impressed when I got home, and grateful!!! He cleaned the snow from the driveway (which I don't think will ever stop at this point...notice the snowbank is now higher than the mailbox!!) and he cleaned BOTH bathrooms, the downstairs living area and the entry way (no shoes or coats!!)! YAY, must less left to do now!! So, here are some pictures of our rarely clean house. I like taking pictures of the house now because things are changing so much. More and more baby/kid toys/stuff taking over, more and more of our stuff being moved and/or hidden because they aren't baby/kid proof. It's fun to watch the changes :)

Until tomorrow!!!

2/4/10 - What to Do???

Today was just a typical Thursday...I feel like I'm becoming very repetitive in that!!! After a day of work, we just hung out at home. While sitting, watching TV, the energizer bunny suddenly became very quiet. Of course, quite for a toddler never really means good news. So, I was off an a search around the house to see what she'd gotten herself into...and, I found her just hanging out the bath tub. While it initially throws me into a panic (being that our tub is quite high and elevated for her to get into), it quickly passed and I decided to take the photo op! She does love her bath, and bath toys!

After some play, Christian and I lounged on the couch together watching some shows, while Olivia's lounged on her couch. She seems like such a grown up now! Now, we'll be frantically trying to clean and shop to get ready for the big Superbowl party on Sunday!! YAY for parties!





Until tomorrow!!!